Many teenagers and young adults in their twenties are becoming more involved in the “texting-while-driving” trend. According to the law firm of Edgar Snyder & Associate’s website, more than one-third of all young drivers, ages 24 and under, are texting on the road.
This trend has consequences that can result in serious injuries and even death.
“I have been in an accident where I was texting in driving and I was scared for my life,” said Azure Long, 21, a fourth-year nursing student from Jonesville, Fla.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that in 2008, more than 5,870 people died in car crashes. Among the crashes, 28 percent of the drivers involved ranged from ages 18 to 29, all of whom had admitted to texting while driving at some point.
Some students at Florida A&M have admitted to texting while driving.
“I do text while driving, but I don’t do it as much as I used to,” said Carissa McBride, 19, a second-year pre-elementary education student from West Palm Beach. “The anticipation of knowing what the text says and wanting to reply is what gets me.”
A study from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showed that drivers who send and receive messages are, on average, distracted 4.6 out of every 6 seconds while texting. Drivers traveling at 55 miles per hour, will drive the full length of a football field without looking up from their phone. According to FMCSA, drivers distracted by texting are more than 20 times more likely to be involved in a crash than non-distracted drivers.
As for the advocates that are against texting while driving and other distractions while in a vehicle, 28 states have passed laws banning texting for drivers.
Florida has not yet passed a law that will ban Florida drivers from texting and driving, while its neighboring state Georgia has. HandsFreeinfo.com, states that the Georgia law for texting while driving is banned for all drivers regardless of whether a hands-free device is attached, and a $150 ticket will be issued to drivers that do not abide by the law.